A peculiar fossil with a series of spikes connected to a rib was recently discovered in the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco. It turned out to be the remains of the oldest ankylosaur ever found and was the first discovery of its kind in Africa.
Dr. Susannah Maidment, a researcher at the Natural History Museum (NHM) and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham, said, “At first we thought the specimen could be part of a stegosaur, having previously found them at the same location. But on closer inspection, we realized the fossil was unlike anything we had ever seen.” She added, “It is completely unprecedented and unlike anything else in the animal kingdom.”
Researchers named the species Spicomellus afer, with Spicomellus meaning “collar of spikes” and afer meaning “of Africa.”
This extraordinary specimen was thought to be fake at first, but CT scans proved it to be real. The discovery also suggested that ankylosaurs and stegosaurs co-existed instead of competing with each other. Now, it is part of NHM’s collections and atopic for further studies.
Image: Trustees of the Natural History Museum